New STI screening and prevention clinic for West Quebec

After some public pressure, the CISSSO announced, June 7, that it is opening a screening and prevention clinic for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and blood-borne infections in Hull.

The clinic is already offering counselling, vaccination and screening services for West Quebec’s population. The new clinic will be housed inside the Old Hull CLSC at 85, rue Saint-Rédempteur. The team will consist of one nurse, one nurse practitioner and one doctor.

The clinic will open for patients with appointments Monday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, and Wednesday, 1 to 9 pm. Walk-in hours on Tuesday and Thursday are from 1 to 8:30 pm.

In Outaouais, over 2,000 cases of infection have been recorded annually for the past five years. In 2014, 1,000 cases of chlamydia were reported, an increase of 25% compared to 2008.

Besides chlamydia, syphilis is also on the rise. In 1998, there were three cases in Quebec, versus 671 in 2012. In 1996, there was no syphilis reported in Outaouais, but a decade later, there were 17. Previously affecting men who have sex with men (MSM), syphilis has in the past few years also started affecting heterosexuals between 20 and 24.

Yves Séguin, manager of the Centre d’intervention et de prévention en toxicomanie de l’Outaouais (CIPTO), applauds the initiative, but notes that more is required.

“This opens up time slots to screen people who have injected, or inhaled, drugs or have participated in risky sexual activities. In the end, what we need is a complete sexual health clinic with an attending physician where people, as in Ottawa, can have anonymous screenings without prior appointment during the week and even the weekend,” he told the Bulletin.

Mr Séguin would also like to see one day a Low Threshold Clinic with few requirements to obtain medical services to treat Hepatitis C, for example.

“Many people cross the river for the type of services the new clinic will offer, but even with this clinic, many will continue to cross the river,” noted Séguin.

Danielle Lanyi, Executive Director for the Connexions Resource Centre, told the Bulletin that the new clinic is great news.

“It will be very important that the new clinic is well advertised so people know about it,” she said. “We know STI’s are on the rise among every age group. This opens treatment to the broader population and even Ottawa’s. It certainly was a catalyst pushing the CISSSO to  examine its organization of services.”